Vehicle drivers are very curious about information whether the drivers are not likely to stop at a traffic signal intersection, which the drivers are going to pass.
Patent Document 1 proposes a device that analyzes drive data obtained from a probe car so as to determine whether data indicative of the stoppage of the vehicle corresponds to information indicative of the signal waiting at the intersection or information indicative of the parking.
In contrast, there is proposed a technique that uses a navigation device to inform fuel saving drive. Also, it is known, in general, that when the vehicle accelerates from a stoppage state or a drive state, a fuel consumption markedly increases.
In order to avoid acceleration in the drive state so as to suppress the increase in fuel consumption, Patent Document 2 proposes a technique, in which when there is no more driving force request to an engine of the driving vehicle, the technique computes a maximum reachable distance that the coasting vehicle is capable of running before the vehicle speed is reduced to a predetermined vehicle speed. Then, the technique informs the vehicle driver of information related to the reachable distance. In other words, when the vehicle is expected to stop at a stop position downstream of the driving route, the vehicle driver knows that the vehicle driver is capable of reaching the stop position without further turning on the accelerator if the vehicle driver starts cruising at a position that is away from the stop position by a distance equal to or less than the reachable distance. As a result, the above driving technique is capable of avoiding the unnecessary acceleration and thereby suppressing the excessive fuel consumption.
Please refer Patent Document 3 and Patent Document 4 that disclose conventional techniques related to the invention of the present application.